GTA IV trailer dissected

What we can learn from our second sneak peek at the new Liberty City

Above: Niko looks over his shoulder twice while driving in this trailer - we hope it's something he does automatically, because just thinking abouta "check blind spot" button kills our souls

Speaking of things getting wrecked, check out the detailed damage the apartment door (belonging to "B. Crane," whoever that is) takes when Nikoboots it down. The chain lock snaps, the deadbolt tears away from the door (along with the surrounding chunk of wood), the door frame itself takes some serious ripping and splinters fly everywhere. It's awesome, but - again - is it something we'll actually be able to do during normal gameplay? Despite the cutscene-like presence of the Niko's sidekick, we're going to guess that, yes, this is how you'll be able to get past locked doors. And we're looking forward to it, asit'll beat the hell out of hunting for keys.

Speaking of Niko's pudgy, cowering, tracksuit-wearing sidekick, we believe he's none other than Niko's relatively upright cousin Roman, who runs a taxi service (and who at one point was rumored to be the game's real protagonist). We could be wrong, but the fact that he shows up no fewer than three times in the video, and that his tastes in fashion are strikingly similar to Niko's, leads us to think he's important. Whatever the case, we're pretty sure it's Roman's voice saying, "Don't do anything stupid, cousin!" midway through.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.